Vietnamese and Canadian delegates

At the Climate Action, Agriculture, Waste Management and Pollution-free Oceans session, Ms. Pham Thi Gam of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment delivered a speech on water pollution from plastic bags and underlined the challenges faced by developing countries like Vietnam where plastic bags are cheap. She proposed greater use of biodegradable bags and an environment tax to discourage the use of plastic bags.

This year’s SBEC , the first co-organized by Kenya, Canada, and Japan, drew 18,000 participants from 183 nations. The conference discussed ways to use natural resources more effectively and sustainably, and to ensure maritime safety and security despite economic growth.